Editors’ Notes

"I'm feeling lucky/I'll bet my home town/Nothing can stop us now," sings Zac Barnett on the uproarious "Hit It" from American Authors' debut. He's talking about picking up a hot date, but he might as well be describing the chutzpah this Brooklyn-via-Boston quartet displays on Oh, What a Life. Buzzing with the earnestness of Mumford & Sons, the pop sheen of Foster the People, and the anthemic sing-along choruses of fun., the band's music is exuberant, fearless, and impossibly catchy. With its plucked banjos and clomping beat, "Best Day of My Life" was ubiquitous on commercials and movie soundtracks in 2013. As effervescent as that track is, it's not even the album standout. That honor goes to "Luck," a colossal pop-rock tune that bounces along to a sturdy beat and syncopated guitar riff before exploding into a lighter-waving chorus that rivals the feel-good choral wallop of "Some Nights." From the strutting bombast of "Believe" to the punk-pop of "Heart of Stone" to the Celtic-inflected title track, American Authors may have written the book on alt-pop crossover success in 2014.

Customer Reviews

Best day of my life

by
Lovinonedirection3

I seriously love "best day of my life." It really, truly makes my day tons better. I listen to it everyday & it sits on repeat. I've been going through some stuff lately, and when I turn on that song, I can't resist to smile every time. Thank you.

Amazing

by
Patrick S

One of the best albums I've heard!!!

Like, it's not even GOOD fake indie

by
Planoneck

I believe music that bills itself as "alternative" or "indie" should retain at least some of the characteristics those genres are known for: integrity, individuality, passion, a desire for progression, and a distaste for corporate pandering of any kind.

This band, along with Imagine Dragons, the Neighbourhood and the rest of their ilk, are the antithesis of all these things. They are what top 40 programmers and middle-aged soccer moms think "alternative" music should sound like. They are to indie what Nickelback and Creed were to grunge, and they need to be stopped.

lol jk i dont really care that much tbh. still terrible tho

Biography

Formed: 2007 in Boston, MA

Genre: Alternative

Years Active: '00s, '10s

Offering up an emotional and propulsive mix of summery indie pop and meticulously crafted, commercial modern rock, Brooklyn-based American Authors fall somewhere in between the heady introspection of Alt-J, the arena-sized folk-rock of Mumford & Sons, and the urban, heartfelt grandeur of Fun. Formed in Boston by Zac Barnett (vocals), James Adam Shelley (guitar/banjo), Dave Rublin (bass), and Matt Sanchez (drums) while the four were attending the Berklee College of Music, the quartet eventually...